Thailand Honeymoon

After the usual lengthy pre-trip screening process, where we weigh the pros and cons of all of the far-flung destinations we'd like to see, the final verdict was in: Thailand. So five months after our wedding, the honeymoon was on.

We plotted a whacky web of thirteen interconnecting flights, both domestic (thanks frequent flyer blackout days) and international so that we could stop in Portland, Oregon for our friends' wedding and some quality time with west coast family. Then it was off to Thailand for some fun in the sun, asian-style. Our exploits were well-documented during the trip with our Thaiing the Knot travel blog (worth a read when you're finished with the pictures), so we won't repeat them here, but do check out the slideshow first.

Movin' On Up (Stairs)

(Click the picture to the left to view the slideshow)

Over a year and a half ago we put a building permit in the window, and started prying the grungy wood paneling off the walls upstairs. A dumpster worth of old ceiling tiles, pipe, wire, and insulation were chucked out the window over the driveway, and new, green 2x4s hammered into place upstairs, New electric and plumbing wormed its way through the walls and floors, and puffy foam insulation filled the bays. Fifty year-old paneling was replaced with drywall, and a new dormer eventually punched out of the roof. I stacked hundreds of linear feet of trim wood in the basement, and moved it back and forth from the yard where I sanded, stained, and finished it, and then carried it up the rickety stairs in the back where it was sawn and fitted into place. Heidi and I also carried several boxes of hardwood floor up those stairs, and that stack eventually covered the upstairs in a smooth, continuous sock-sliding surface. Now, all the work is done, and Heidi and I are enjoying the fruits of our labors (a big, sunny bedroom, three new closets, a large bathroom, and a lot more free time).

Pricey Patio Set Enjoyed by Local Wildlife, No One Else

A CraterRanch internal study confirmed that the big green patio set at 44 Riverview Street gets used more by area squirrels, birds, and stray cats than by the actual CraterRanch staff and guests. The local wildlife enjoys sitting on the wood table and benches, sometimes while enjoying a bite to eat under the shade of a big old oak tree, which is what CraterRanch editor-in-chief Keith Ferguson and wife/assistant editor Heidi Hanson envisioned for themselves when the set was purchased from the classifieds last summer. The study also found that the editor spent an approximate total of four hours using the benches as sawhorses for finishing the trim wood for the upstairs remodeling project. The most puzzling finding shows that the editors have spent more time moving the patio set than they actually spent sitting in it (study includes the two trips necessary to transport the pieces home on top of the MINI Cooper, moving it around the grounds for various reasons, and finally stacking it in the garage for winter.

Snow-Throwing Contraption Makes Editor Hero to Wife, Neighbors, Small Children.

After two winters of clearing snow from the CraterRanch grounds at 44 Riverview Street by hand, and watching the neighbors cheerfully eliminating same snow with back-saving machinery, editor-in-chief Keith Ferguson decided to treat himself with a used Craftsman snowblower. The purchase of the snow-flinging winter wonder weapon was justified by the side-by-side driveway abutting our next door neighbor, which requires shovels of snow to be carried several steps before being deposited onto ever-growing mounds of snow. Further justification for the two-hundred dollar expense was granted by the need to help said ailing, elderly neighbor with said driveway, and also by the extra long sidewalk in front of the house.

Although the snowblower worked fine when demonstrated at purchase, it required a few hours worth of research and tinkering before it would actually stay running. This tinkering led to a rather amusing incident which found the editor removing the fuel hose, plugging the fuel tank with his finger, and then realizing that the tool needed to complete the task was not within arms reach. After staying in that position for about one minute, the editor eventually got gasoline all over the machine, his clothing, and the whole damn place before getting things back together. Finally, however, the kink in the fuel line was removed and the contraption has functioned perfectly ever since.

The hilarity did not stop after the machine was repaired. Using the snowblower after the most recent snow, the editor's set of spare keys apparently fell from his pocket, eventually getting sucked into, ripped apart by, and spit out of the machine. At the time of this report, three keys have been located. Eight are still unaccounted for.

Wedding Thanks

Heidi and I would like to thank all of those who attended our wedding celebration back in May, and all of those who didn't come but were there in spirit. We were lucky to be able to share such a beautiful day and place with all of you, and we especially enjoyed having everyone over to our place for brunch the next day.

We put everyone's generous gifts to use on our honeymoon to Thailand (pictures to be posted soon). You will also be happy to know that marriage hasn't ruined our relationship, although the abundance of leftover wine and beer probably helped smooth the transition.

We would also like to thank everyone for sharing their pictures. We have more than we ever would have guessed, and they are so much better than anything we would have gotten from a professional, mostly because they came from all of you. Click the picture to the right to see a larger version, and click here for the slideshow.